The series of suspicious grass and pasture fires on conservation range program lands and oil fields started in November and continued through December, Hockley County Sheriff David Kinney said. Most of the blazes occurred near Sundown, and two were in Terry County.

Investigators ruled each one arson.

"We were real lucky nobody got injured," Kinney said.

Some old, abandoned buildings were burned in a few of the blazes, but no serious structure damage was reported. Still, damage is likely to be in the $1,000 range, Kinney said.

Investigators got the big break in the case right before Christmas. They already suspected a man in a red pickup was involved from several witness reports.

Then they met the suspect at the scene of a fire.

Langley, 30, who was in a red pickup, said he saw the fire and stopped to try to put it out. A volunteer firefighter, however, told authorities he saw a man matching Langley's description set the fire.

Kinney then took pictures of Langley's tires, shoes and truck.

"We matched them to several other fires," he said.

When Kinney showed Langley the evidence, he confessed, Kinney said. But Langley wouldn't tell authorities why he did it.

Langley is currently out of jail - he posted bail for a $10,000 bond.

If convicted of the arson charges, he faces several counts of a second-degree felony, each carrying a prison term of two to 20 years, and a possible fine up to $10,000.